Friday, August 12, 2016

Taiwan Needs U.S. Help To Develop Submarines, Experts Say

Marc Selinger, Defense Daily
10 August 2016

Taiwan, which is developing its own fleet of submarines to protect the island nation, could use American naval expertise to help make the vessels a reality, according to two Asia experts.
Taiwan launched its Indigenous Defense Submarine (IDS) program in 2014 after it was unable to reach a deal to buy eight new diesel-powered submarines from the United States. But to complete work on the 1,500- to 2,500-ton vessels, Taiwan's navy would benefit greatly from program management assistance and technical support from the United States, said Richard Fisher, senior fellow for Asian military affairs at the International Assessment and Strategy Center, and Ian Easton, research fellow at the Project 2049 Institute.
"Taiwan has never before designed and built such a large submarine, and simply devising the program for such an undertaking is a very complex task in organization," Fisher said. "The U.S. has extensive experience in managing complex weapons programs. In addition, the U.S. could provide critical submarine technologies like combat control systems, sonar and submarine weapons."

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My blog concentrates on submarine history and modern strategy. I plan to sprinkle in commentary on anything of interest. My publisher is the U.S. Naval Institute Press. Information about my books is available at USNI.com. I also have an interest in Bucks County, Pa. history and write a weekly column for the Bucks County Courier Times and The Intelligencer. My new book on the subject is "Bucks County Adventures" available through Amazon.com.